Fluid mixer



Nov.v 5, 1957 v D. F. KUMPMAN 2,812,168

FLUID MIXER Filed Jan. 4, 195e flll/////// IIIIII III Il United StatesPatent FLUID MIXER Daniel F. Kumpman, Dover, N. .L

Application January 4, 1956, Serial No. 557,414

4 Claims. (Cl. 261-71) The invention herein disclosed relates to a novelfaucet construction and more particularly to a faucet having a devicefor mixing air with the stream of water.

The advantages of aerating water as it flows from a sink or laundryfaucet are well known. There are various aerating devices on the marketat the present time which attempt to perform this function. However,those devices have certain drawbacks and disadvantages which the deviceof the present invention overcomes. One such disadvantage is that it iscustomary to employ a screen or wire mesh in the aerator which becomesclogged after extended use. This necessitates disassembling of thedevice to clean the wire mesh. Another disadvantage of the aeratorsheretofore 'devised is that the air is drawn into the stream of waterfrom around the edge or circumference thereof, thus resulting in aninefficient mixture of the fluids. The present invention provides anaerator o-r fluid mixer which overcomes these and other disadvantages ofprior aerators.

Objects of the present invention therefore are to provide an aerator ofsimple construction which will operate to mix air and water effectivelyand eiciently.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an aeratorespecially adapted for use with a sink faucet in which the air is drawninto the stream of water from the center thereof whereby a complete andthorough mixing of air and water is obtained.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which thepurposes of the invention are attained are set forth or will appear inthe course of the following specication.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates present approved forms of the invention. Structure, however,may be further modified and changed as regards the immediateillustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention ashereinafter dened'and claimed.

Fig. l is a side view partially broken away, of a faucet construction ofthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 3 is a side view broken away, of a modification of the embodimentshown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a bottom View of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional detail of a still further modification ofthe faucet and aerator of the present in- Vention.

Referring first to Figs. l and 2, numeral represents a faucet having adepending head portion or casing 11 which has a generally cylindrical,hollowed out center within which the aerator elements are located. Theaerator, generally indicated by numeral 12, includes a core 13 which iscylindrical and threaded as at 14. The

core is conveniently inserted in the upper opening of head 11 andscrewed into place as shown in Fig. 1. The faucet head or casing 11 hasa recess 15 which pr0- vides a shoulder 16 against which an annular lip17 of the core rests. The core lip and shoulder 16 cooperate to limitand determine the position of the core within the casing 11. The bottomportion of core 13 has a cylindrical bore 18 which defines thecylindrical side 21. A series of radially extending ports 19 passthrough the core wall 21. A second cylindrical bore 22 is formed withinthe center of the core, as clearly seen in Fig. 1. The two core boresoverlap somewhat to form a deflector ring 23. It should be noted thatthe outer surface of the deflector ring is frustro-conical, for apurpose to be hereinafter described. A second series of radial ports 24extend from the bore 22 outward to the outside surface of core 13.

The faucet 10 is tapered to form a neck as at 25 which terminates in anannular groove 26 extending around the inner surface of the casing 11.It is seen that the openings of ports 19 are aligned with the neck 25and groove 26. Thus as the stream of water passes through the faucet 10it ows around groove 26 and then passes through the ports 19. As thewater enters the hollowed out portion of the core 13 it strikes againstthe conical surface of deflector ring 23 and is directed downward.

Thewater thus passing the bottom of cylindrical bore 22 downward througha chamber 27 which is especially designedkand constructed to preventsplashing and to confine the aerated water to a well dened stream as itpasses out'of the faucet. The chamber 27 is located in the bottomportion of the hollow casing 11. The perforated cylindrical member 28which may be made of sheet metal, is located around the inner surface ofthe Vchamber 27. As seen in Fig. 2, member 28 is split, as vat 30, sothat it may be readily inserted upwardly through they bottom opening ofcasing 11. With the cylindrical member 28 in position, its bottom edgerests against a shoulder 31 formed at the bottom opening of the faucethead. `A single piece of sheet material is bent to form a flower petalformation which is more clearly speen in Fig. 2. The petal shaped member32 is inserted upward ly through the mouth of the faucet and lits inplace with the outer ends of each petal abutting against the innersurface of sleeve member 28. The shoulder 31 maintains the Vpetal shapedmember 32 in its proper position.

'L It is readily seen then that the aerated water passes do-wnward fromthe mixing chamber 18 through the petal network and passes out throughthe mouth of the faucet.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, there is shown an embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the aerating mechanism may be selectivelyturned off or rendered inoperative, in which case the water will emanatefrom the faucet in a circular spray. Numeral 33 represents a faucethaving a depending head portion or casing 34 which has a hollowed out,generally cylindrical center portion 35. An annular groove 36 is formedin the side of cylinder 35 near the bottom thereof, providing a shoulder37. The circular mouth at the bottom of casing 34 has a series ofsemi-circular notches 38 around the edge thereof. An aerator 39 whichmay be a core of generally cylindrical construction fits within cylinder35, as shown in Fig. 3. The core has two circular flanges 41 and 42which are of slightly less diameter than cylinder `the mouthat thebottom of the aerator.

35. In this manner ange 41 and cylinder wall 35 c0- operate in a snugsliding lit. Flange 42 is of a greater diameter than the mouth of head34 so that shoulder 37 will determine the lowerposition of the aeratorcore 39. A series of radial ports 43 are formed through the ange 41 andextend from annular water groove 26a in the casing into a cylindricalmixing chamber`44 within the core 39. These ports are aligned with the(narrowed neck 45 of the faucet when the aerator is in its lowerposition with ange 42 `abutting shoulder 37. A bore 46 formed in thecenter of the core connects with a serles of radial air inlet ports 47which extend outwardly to the outside surface of the aerator. `It willbe seen then that as the stream of water Afrom the faucet passes throughports 43 it will strike against deflector ring 48 and ow downwardinto'the mixing chamber 44. The lower portion of deflector ring 48 isserrated to provide a circular series of teeth 49 which extenddownwardly and slightly inwardly. VThus as the water passes radiallyinwardly into the mixing chamber 44 air is aspirated -or drawn throughports 47, down through bore 46 to mix centrally with the water in thechamber 44. rl`his fluid mixture then passes out through the mouth atthe bottom of the aerator core 39.

A lever 51, Fig. 3, is shown pivotally mounted on top of the faucet bymeans of screw 52. The end of lever 51 is shown connected to the top ofthel sliding core 39 by means of a screw 53 so that as the handle end ofthe lever is depressed the aerator core 39 will be raised to a positionwherein ports 43 are above the narrowed -neck 45 and annular groove 26aand thus closed off. With the ports closed, the water from the faucetwill pass down betweenthe inner surface of cylinder 35 and the outersurface of the core into the annular groove 36 and then out through thesemi-circular notches 38 in the mouth of the faucet head in the form ofa spray.

If it is desired to have an aerated stream of water, the aerator corewill be positioned as shown and the water will pass into the peripheryof the mixing chamber 44 and the air be'drawn down through the center ofthe water stream and the` uid mixture will discharge from If a spray ofwater is desired, the lever handle 51 is depressed to raise the aeratorcore 39 to close off ports 43. In this position the water will pass downbetween the sides of the aerator and the casing 34 and be formed intospray by 'notched openings 38.

hofthe casing is screw-threaded as at 57 and has an annular groove 58near the top portion thereof aligned and is screw-threaded as at63. Theaerator is screwed into place as shown in Fig. 5, and has a series ofradially extending ports 64. The bottom portion of the aerator has Vnotches 66 which extend downwardly and inwardly. With the aerator inposition the stream of water will pass into the annular groove 58 anddownward through. the mixing chamber 67, thus drawing or aspirating airthrough ports 64 and downward through bore 61 into the mixing chamber.At this point the air and water are effectively mixed and 'pass outthrough the mouth of the faucet head 56.

It is seen that this invention provides a `fluid mixer wherein thestream of air is drawn in through the center of the water stream toinsure a thorough and complete mixture of the two fluids, and thiswithout the use of fine screens or other clogging medium.

What is claimed is:

l. Aerating faucet comprising an upright tubular faucet body having anannular water groove in the inner wall of the same, a water inlet in theside of the same opening into said water groove and a discharge nozzleat the ylower end of the same, a closure plug seated in the upper end ofsaid faucet body, having a dependent outer annular wall extending downpast said annular water `groove and having water inlet ports extendingtherethrough in line with said annular water groove, said plug having aninner annular wall spaced from said outer annular wall and extendingdownwardly past said water inlet ports and said plug having a centralair inlet chamber within said inner annular wall and air inlet portsopening through the upper portion of the plug ,into the top of said airinlet chamber, whereby streams of water passing through the water inletports from the annular water groove and deilected downwardly by saidinner annular wall, will inspirate ow of air from the air inlet portsand air inlet chamber down through the center of the hollow water columndeflected downwardly by said inner annular wall.

2. The invention according to claim l with a petal shaped anti-splashmember seated in the discharge nozzle of said faucet.

` 3. Theinvention according to claim l in which said plugjmemberisvertically adjustable in the faucet body and in `which said water inletports are disposed to be cut off by the wall at one edge of the annularwater groove when said plug is shifted in one direction.

4. The invention according to claim 3 with spray discharge means at thelower end of the faucet body cooperative with the 'lower end of saidplug, to release a spray discharge of water from the annular watergroove when the plugis shifted as described.

References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,519,312Kelleher Dee 16, 1924 2,405,375 smith Aug. 6, 1946 `2,483,426 Moore oct.4, 1949

